Seremban: Royale Bintang Resort & Spa

 

I booked this hotel as I was scheduled to go to the Seremban Half Marathon 2012, and got the Half Marathon Rate. We made the reservation via phone, and was given a reservation number for each of the rooms we booked. We booked a Deluxe Room, but got upgraded to the Executive Room floor, Room 1037, as they did not have enough twin rooms.

The room was very spacious for three, and had enough space to accommodate one more extra bed at RM 80 with breakfast. We also loved the spacious bathroom that came with a seperate bath tub, and shower, along with Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries. Needless to say, we took all the toiletries home, including the 2 hand soaps. They even had a bathroom scale!

 

 

 In the room they provided coffee and tea making facilities, a flat screen TV with sufficient satelite TV channels including Discovery, International News and a movie channel, a large closet with ironing facilities and a bathrobe.

I have to say that we had a very bad experience with the service of the hotel. The check in took about 20 minutes which was actually ok with me in the beginning as we were upgraded. However, our extra bed took about 4.5 hours to arrive, after calling about 5 times to the Front Desk, Guest Services Manager and Housekeeping every hour or so since 8.30pm. We actually got the bed at 11.30pm, way past our bed time. There was a time we went down to see the Front Desk and told them we ordered an extra bed and he did not even ask for our room number and just say "ok our housekeeping is very busy". That's it. 

Breakfast was on the 10th floor in the Executive Lounge, but it was not that appetizing and very little in selection. We had cooked eggs (which was great, and made to order) but the buffet looked really unappetizing and ...limp (noodles, vege, salad, fruits and etc). 

The pool was OK, but it was kind of cold as there was not any sun that day. The gym is open from 7am -9.30pm and its quite basic but it has about 4 types of cardio machines, free weights and some other weight machines. Towels and water were provided in the gym.

All in all it was a good deal as we got upgraded, for 3 people. I suppose if were in Seremban again this would be our only option as a family, but the service and breakfast needs serious attention.

Penang: Georgetown

 

More lovely photos from Georgetown uploaded from my phone.

Beautiful Cheah Kongsi on Armenia St. with Cafe Amelie next to it. Loved the Longan and mint drink I had there. Costly but delicious. They also.serve pasta and lunch but only have about six tables.

A little further down the road and you will see a beautiful wall mural based on a famous photo. 

Love Georgetown and will be back.

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Penang: Old Penang Guesthouse

I went to Penang during the weekday on the last week of June, with the intention of visiting the Penang National Park and doing a hiking route up Penang Hill. However, I fell sick after a trip to Taman Negara but decided to push on to Penang anyway, as I had already purchased all the tickets and booked my hotel. However, my activity list had to change as I would not be doing any kind of trekking or climbing. :)

I chose Old Penang Guesthouse because I was on a budget and because of the good reviews it had received on Hostelworld. It was located on a quaintly-named Love Lane (apparently it is called Love Lane as it used to be a street where mistresses were kept and lovers had trysts). I took a cab from Queensbay Mall where I was dropped off from Aeroline Bus and it cost me RM 30 ( which I know was slightly overpriced as the return taxi ride was only RM 25).

I was given 2 different rooms on 2 different days as I made my reservations seperately. That was fine - I knew what I had booked. The first room (double room, shared bathroom) downstairs was just ok. It was kind of small and located at the back of the guesthouse. It had a towel hanger, air conditioning, a bed lamp, room lamp and a queen bed. I was provided with a towel and had to pay about RM 15 for the towel and the key, which was returned when I checked out.

 Upstairs alley:

On the second night, I was given an upstairs room and this room was much better. It had a single bed, but much more space and even a rug, together with a bedside table. It also felt much newer as well. The upstairs floors had also a bathrooms to be shared and the toilet was clean and it seemed like it was washed almost every hour I was there !!

Things to Do and Eat:

It had a nice relaxing ambience and after I did my sightseeing I would sit at the tables down stairs to use the internet. There's TV and a computer provided with internet for the guests. If you walk out to the mainroad you will most definitely find eateries to eat at night - from Cendol to Lok Lok, to Wan Tan Mee, to freshly cut fruits, so no worries on that front. I am sure you dont want to eat backpacker westernised crap!! There is also a backpacker's pub 2 doors away for those who favour a drink.

Staying in the UNESCO Core Heritage area means that most attractions are within walking distance of Love Lane. For example, Armenian Street, Muntri Street, Cheong Fatt Tze mansion, Chinatown, Penang Museum, Fort Cornwallis.

Beautiful restored buildings around Love Lane:

 

The area surrounding Love Lane is also quite interesting -  I found an interesting temple and building nearby below on Muntri Lane and Jimmy Choo's first apprenticeship!

All in all this is a good area to be in. I would stay in another location next time but only because I like some variety in where I stay. For additional pictures of Georgetown, click here.

Hotel Details: Old Penang Guesthouse

Hotel Website: oldpenang.com

Mersing: Mirage Island Resort Pulau Besar

I booked this as a short beach break for the family, and since I started learning swimming, I thought I'd book somewhere that we can snorkel on the beach (I was cautious of snorkeling as well before learning swimming). Originally my preferred choice was Pulau Sibu (Sibu Island Resort) for a family getaway but they were fully booked that weekend. In the end, we settled for Pulau Besar.

We took about 5 hours to drive from KL to Mersing Jetty. We went through the PLUS Highway heading south, turning out at Ayer Itam Exit, pass Kluang, Kahang, NITAR Oil Plantations and into Mersing. While the signage to Mersing was clear all the way from Ayer Itam, once you reach Mersing, the signs to the Jetty is unclear. Remember that its around the KFC area...don't go further than that.

The pic below shows the Mirage Office in the Mersing Jetty where you are to register before departing:

Upon arrival at the Jetty....

We arrived around 11am and registered ourselves at the Mirage Island office. Our boat was scheduled to depart at 12.30pm and the other group joined us right on time. It was a rocky ride to Pulau Besar, about 30 minutes. They carried our baggage all the way to the hotel rooms.

Shows the reception at Mirage Island Resort Pulau Besar

When we arrived, we were greeted with Welcome drinks and showed to our rooms. We booked the A-Frame Chalets for a 3D2N food-board package of RM 420 (inclusive of a weekend surcharge). The rooms were nothing to shout about, just enter the room and you will see 1 double bed and 1 single bed, and a toilet.

We had a walk along the beach and played in the water. There isnt really much fish swimming on the coast like in Marine parks in Langkawi or Redang. While the water was clean, there isnt any opportunity for snorkelling as the hotel didnt rent out lifejackets or snorkels either (or at least, I didnt ask and I didnt see any lying around the hotel). There really isnt anything much to do around the island but hanging out and playing in the water. There isnt any wifi either.

You can arrange for a snorkelling trip but they need a minimum number of 8 or you need to rent the whole boat at RM 400.

 

 

Apparently they were shooting European Survivor we were there and this place is quite popular with film crews. 

 

 The food was pretty good - we were served cashew chicken, mixed vegetables and sweet and sour fish the first night, followed by an all out bbq the second night. I really enjoyed the BBQ as it has been a while since I've tried one. They serve tea, coffee and water all day. However, the cocktails were really expensive at RM 30 each. However, you can get vodka orange at about RM 18. Coke was RM 5 + 10% tax. 

All in all it was an OK place I suppose. Only if you like lounging around the beach and doing nothing. I'm not into that so I probably wont come again but if you like lounging and you are on a budget, this is a reasonably good place. 

Hotel website: http://www.mirageislandresort.com/

Kuala Lumpur: ATV Adventure Park Kampung Kemensah Part 2

I first tried this ATV Adventure Park in February and made arrangement with my friends to come back to do a slightly harder route. After about 4 months, we finally made it back to Kampung Kemensah for Package C, up to "Sofea Jane Waterfall" (actual name is Kubang Gajah Waterfall, I think). The waterfall got its name "Sofea Jane" waterfall as Malaysian actress Sofea Jane shot a movie scene there in the 90s.The trail took about 1 hour to get in and another 1 hour to get out via ATV.

As per the previous trip, me and my friends met at the ATV Adventure Park at Kampung Kemensah, at about 8.30am. We signed an indemnity form each, to relieve the company of any responsibility should anything happen to us during the ride. Again, they arranged for us to crowd around a demo ATV, and they explained the controls on the ATV. This took about 15 minutes and was a good refresher.

Everyone then grabbed a helmet and headed towards the ATV for a test drive on their circular loop. The crowd that day was huge, there was even a group of 16 people going on the same route as us! Thankfully, our group of 3 pax was grouped with another family of 3, and it was a good comfortable number. 

They even had Owen Wilson as a celebrity guest on the Package E (hardest route) who came around March 2012. I remember seeing an article in the newspaper showing that he did the ATV but I didn't know that it was with this company. After our package C route, my friends and I thought we'd try the Package E, just cause Owen Wilson also experienced it.

Back to our Package C route. The ride started with an uphill climb before heading into the forest. The difference between Package B and Package C was the while both the routes were off road, Package C's routes were not even, not level and has lots of bumps, holes and rocks. My friend estimated that it was about 50% tougher to ride than the Package B route. There were times when the ATV tipped 45 degrees side ways and there a lot of rocky uphills and downhills on route. During the downhill section, you have to grip the brakes VERY tightly -in my experience even if you grip the brakes extremely tightly, the ATV keeps going and going!

However, after trying out the Package B, everyone was a lot more comfortable on the ATVs than their first times.

After about 1 hour we reached the waterfall, we parked our ATV vehicles and we took a 30 minute break to take a picture of the waterfall and relax our arms. They also provided a free mineral water bottle to us which was really great.

The ride back to the basecamp was a lot faster as the guides were more comfortable with our technical ability this time round. I returned to the basecamp satisfied but a little tired from gripping the brakes tightly. Bathrooms, a shallow dipping pool, and a washing pipe was available at the basecamp for public use. They also sold some soda drinks for all the participants.

All in all, I will probably return again with the same group of friends to do Package E, but will give a rest before trying it again. I think we have had enough of ATV for a while - we might be back but we'll give it a few months.

For instructions on how to get there please refer to this post.

Attraction Website:
http://www.atvadventurepark.com/

Sandakan: Sandakan Viewpoint and Sabah Hotel

During our trip to Abai Jungle Lodge and Kinabatangan River Lodge, we managed to stop at the Sandakan Viewpoint and Sabah Hotel for lunch as part of the package. They mentioned that since we had some spare time, they could bring us to the Sandakan viewpoint nearby the Agnes Keith house. 

The observation pavillion was donated by the Rotary Club and is located about 5 minutes outside the main Sandakan Town area. While we were there we managed to see a few eagles soaring through the sky (those eagles similar to the Langkawi icon ) and enjoyed the great expanse of the ocean.

After stopping for about 15 minutes, we made our way to Sabah Hotel for our lunch that is included in the package. It was at the hotel coffee house, and they served a half-buffet, which means we got to order from a set of meals for the entree, and the appetizer and dessert was buffet style. I quite liked the open airy concept of the Sabah Hotel lobby and will probably bring my family here if they ever come to Sandakan.

They had a quite unique statue of a man on a horse outside the restaurant.

Lunch was just so-so, with a combination of Malay, Western, and Indian entrees. I had the Nyonya Assam Pedas but the fish was a little dry. Again, I'm not a food blogger so I will not comment on the food. After lunch, we had a look at the pool before waiting for the ride to our airport.

 

Tour package Details: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/rainkinabatangansia10.htm
Company and Hotel Website: www.sabahhotel.com.my
For more account of my entire 3D2N Abai and Sukau trip, click here.

Sandakan: Abai Jungle Lodge

I stayed here for 1 night as part of the 3D/2N Abai and Sukau Package Tour. It is about 75 minute speed boat ride from Sandakan Jetty to the Abai Jungle Lodge via SI Tours. The boat ride was a little fast, but it got us there safely and on time. We got assigned Room 18, and we believe that that is the best Twin Rooms to be assigned as it is close to the boardwalks/jungle area at the back of Abai Jungle Lodge. We stumbled across orangutans in front of our rooms twice, one in the early morning and another time during mid-morning.

The rooms are basic, but it had the important amenities - attached bathrooms, electricity the whole night, clean running water, a shower, towels and a fan. They don't provide hair shampoos, but I believe there is biodegradable body shampoo. There are about 4 rooms in 1 block, and each block had a nice veranda and hammock for relaxing and wildlife viewing. Don't expect AC, but the rooms were clean and functional.

The food here is reasonably good - I had one average meal (lunch upon arrival) here but the rest of it was pretty good. For dinner we were provided fish, prawns, vegetables, rice, fruits, and soup. We even had a Jungle Breakfast where they had an outdoor deck to serve the guests breakfast. It was certainly an experience to have breakfast out in the wild like at with nature all around you. The breakfast included baked beans, eggs made to order, sausges, toast, orange juice and fried noodles. The package tour I was on also arranged lunch at the nearby Abai Village and it was absolutely delicious.

An orangutan spotted outside our hut

This is a very memorable hotel - it has many highlights. Orangutans around the hotel, the nature boardwalk where guests can take off independently and view wildlife on their own, the Jungle Breakfasts, the decent food, and the warm and friendly staff. They provide welcome drinks, and warm towels upon arrival and also coffee and tea on a 24/hour basis.

Jungle breakfasts at Abai Jungle Lodge

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While the river safaris at Abai are not the best, it is certainly worth it to stay at least 1 night just to enjoy the hotel, the lunch at Abai Village and the tree planting activity. If there is one tip I can provide, do not sit in front of the boat, as you tend to feel the most of the wind as the boat speeds back to the hotel and sometimes, wayyy too close to the wildlife (like snakes).

Nature boardwalk at Abai Jungle Lodge

Tour package Details: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/rainkinabatangansia10.htm
Company and Hotel Website: www.sitoursborneo.com

To read more about the Sandakan Viewpoint and lunch at Sabah Hotel after we returned to Sandakan, click here.  

Sandakan: 3D/2N Abai and Sukau Kinabatangan Safari by SI Tours Sdn. Bhd.

I went on Uncle Tan's Kinabatangan Safari during New Years 2012 and had a very good time, even though I did not see many animals - I especially wanted to see the icons of Borneo- the orangutan and the proboscis monkeys. After I returned to KL I immediately made plans to go back to Sandakan, and this time I went on the Abai and Sukau tour, as I found out that Sukau was where all the wildlife was. I was not dissapointed as I indeed saw a lot of animals on this tour.

Let me provide a run down of the tour itinerary:

Day 1 Sepilok/Boat to Abai
09:00 Pick up at hotel, proceed by land to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
10:45 Depart to Sim Sim Jetty
11:45 Scheduled boat deparure to Abai Jungle Lodge
13:15 Lunch at Abai Jungle Lodge
14:00 Check in Abai Jungle Lodge
16:30 River cruise to the Kinabatangan River and witness fireflies
19:30 Dinner at Abai Jungle Lodge
20:30 Night walk at Abai Jungle Lodge (on platforms)

Day 2 Pitas/Tree Planting/Sukau
06:30 Morning cruise to Pitas Oxbow Lake
08:00 Jungle Breakfast at Abai Jungle Platform
10:00 Tree planting, Village walk
12:00 Lunch with Villagers or Lunch at Abai Jungle Restaurant
14:15 Boat ruising upstream to Sukau
15:30 Check in Kinabtangan Riverside Lodge
16:30 River cruise to Menanggul River
19:30 Dinner at Kinabatangan Riverside lodge

Day 3 Boat to Sandakan/Market
07:00 After brakfast, scheduled departure by boat to Sandakan
08:30 Toilet stop at Abai Jungle REstaurant
10:00 Arrival at Sandakan Jetty,
10:15 Proceed to Sandakan Central Market
11:00 Lunch at local restaurant
12:30 Transfer to Sandakan Airport/Sandakan hotels

Recommended Personal gear
Insect repellent, raincoat, hat, binocular, sunscreen.

I booked this tour via journeymalaysia but the tour was actually run by SI Tours based in Sandakan. I stayed in Paganakan Dii again before being picked by SI Tours the following morning. Read more about Pagnakan Dii here.

I felt that this company was a good tour comapny. It was very professionally run, and although the price was steeper (3x more expensive) than the one I paid for at Uncle Tan's, I felt it was worth it as it provided the following:

• Electricity at both the hotels the whole time and not switched off after 10pm.
• Clean running water, instead of running river water
• Attached toilets
• 4*star treatment - provided warm hand towels and welcome drinks, coffee, tea and water provided 24 hours, some toiletries, towels and fans provided
• Safety and Transportation Features - lifejackets were provided on the boats and were made compulsory for the trips. The transportation boats were covered to ensure that we were protected from the rain and the river cruises were open to ensure maximum exposure to wildlife
• Guides- Good quality guides who are knowledgeable about birds, wildlife, sabah and history. They also had a tree-planting project where we took part in and a village lunch which was so delicious. The guides also kept everyone on schedule and we departed and arrived on time.
• Hotels- Hotels were beautiful, well maintained and clean. At Abai Jungle Lodge, there were special touches such as a Jungle Breakfast, as well as the nature platform walk where guests can walk around independently. I've spotted orangutans on those broadwalks twice, and others have spotted wildboars and etc.
• Food - I only had one average meal at Abai Jungle Lodge. The other dinners and breakfasts I had at the hotels were delicious with fresh prawns, fish, vegetables, and fruits,

The list of animals I saw (not exhaustive) during the tour is as follows:

• Orangutans
• Proboscis Monkeys
• Short-tail and Long-tail Macaques
• Crocodiles
• Rhino Hornbills
• Pit Viper and Pythons
• Eagles, Herons, Storks (Egrets) and Kingfishers
• Sambar Deer

All in all, I felt that this was a very professionally run tour and I would recommend this company and this tour to whomever who wants to visit the Kinabatangan in a luxury way (as luxury you can get in the Jungles at least).

Sim-Sim Jetty where we took our speed boat to Abai and then Sukau. The journey took 75 minutes to Abai from Sandakan.

A visual of the speedboat we took (complete with lifejackets)

Site of the Tree-Planting Project. They provide you with a serial number and a certificate with the serial number and your name printed on it for RM 15. This cash goes to the villagers of Abai.

The Jungle Platform at Abai Jungle Lodge where we had our breakfast.

Lovely nature boardwalk at Abai Jungle Lodge.

An orangutan was spotted in the Abai Jungle Lodge premises twice while I was there.

The tree planted by myself at the tree planting site at Abai.

Tour package Details: http://www.journeymalaysia.com/rainkinabatangansia10.htm
Company and Hotel Website: www.sitoursborneo.com

To read more about Abai Jungle Lodge, click here.

To read more about the Sandakan Viewpoint and lunch at Sabah Hotel after we returned to Sandakan, click here.